


Beautiful Ones

by sunset_oasis



Series: Love of the Serpents [11]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, F/F, M/M, gin'n'tonic brotp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-13
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-31 07:52:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10894971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunset_oasis/pseuds/sunset_oasis
Summary: When the head of MI6, Minerva McGonagall, had assigned him a field task that had required him to work with an ASIE agent from Italy, Tom had expected to work with someoneprofessional. But instead, his partner was ...Tom glared at the back of Blaise Zabini in sullen anger as he watched the other man charmed the security check of the party they were supposed to gather information from. Okay, Zabini was pretty, Tom would give him that. Immaculately dressed in a fanciful -flamboyant, Tom thought angrily - suit that made people's gazes linger, and a brilliantly charming smile that sure was useful in convincing people butweren't they supposed to be discreet for fuck's sake, Blaise Zabini seemed more like a typical rich playboy than asecret agent.And those shiny,glitteringbluenail polishthat in Tom's opinion was atrocious and would probably looked awful on everyone else but somehow fit Zabini nicely.Glittering. Nail polish.Tom clenched his teeth as they walked into the party.





	Beautiful Ones

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

 

When the head of MI6, Minerva McGonagall, had assigned him a field task that had required him to work with an ASIE agent from Italy, Tom had expected to work with someone _professional_. But instead, his partner was …

Tom glared at the back of Blaise Zabini in sullen anger as he watched the other man charmed the security check of the party they were supposed to gather information from. Okay, Zabini was pretty, Tom would give him that. Immaculately dressed in a fanciful – _flamboyant_ , Tom thought angrily – suit that made people's gazes linger, and a brilliantly charming smile that sure was useful in convincing people but _weren't they supposed to be discreet for fuck's sake_ , Blaise Zabini seemed more like a typical rich playboy than a _secret agent_.

And those shiny, _glittering_ blue _nail polish_ that in Tom's opinion was atrocious and would probably looked awful on everyone else but somehow fit Zabini nicely.

 _Glittering_. _Nail polish_.

Tom clenched his teeth as they walked into the party.

 

* * *

 

According to their sources, in the study of the host of the party, Signor Selwyn, there was a quarter of the recipe of the latest weapon Gellert Grindelwald's organization was developing. Tom already knew another piece of the recipe was in some secured bank in Paris since last month, but they hadn't retrieved that piece yet due to technical difficulties, and had planned on getting the part in the Selwyn's villa first.

Today was their first time at the Selwyn Villa and while Tom was sneaking around stealthily trying to figure out the security measures of this place, Zabini was _flirting_ with Signora Selwyn and that _annoyed_ Tom to no end.

Why was he even a _secret agent_? Tom wondered again, furious.

On their way back to their hotel after the party ended, Tom was angrily messaging his usual partner back in London, complaining about Zabini.

(10: 24 pm) _i fucking loathe that italian idiot mcg assigned me to work with_

(10: 24 pm) **good. i was getting worried.**

(10: 24 pm) _?_

(10: 25 pm) **lol you hate everyone, tom. if you weren't complaining to me about him i'd be afraid he did something to you. good to know that everything's fine.**

(10: 25 pm) _fuck off, ginevra_

(10: 26 pm) **oh btw tom could i use the tickets of art exhibition at Tate you got as a gift last month? i mean you're not going to go anyway**

(10: 26 pm) _since when are YOU interested in art exhibitions?_

(10: 26 pm) **i've a date with this amazing girl who happened to be v interested**

(10: 27 pm) (Ginny Weasley sent a picture)

(10: 27 pm) **look isn't she lovely?**

(10: 27 pm) **her name's luna**

(10: 27 pm) **anyway thx for the tickets**

(10: 28 pm) **oh and be sure to continue to update me abt your hatred on your italian partner**

(10: 28 pm) **so I won't have to worried you died or sth**

(10: 29 pm) _i hate u so much_

(10: 29 pm) **:)**

 

* * *

 

"There was a security code, which probably wouldn't be an issue – a colleague of mine would be able to solve it in like, 3 days," Tom said coolly to Zabini, thinking of MI6's own hacker, Hermione Granger. He suppressed his fury that Zabini hadn't contribute at all and he'd gotten all the information needed by himself as he continued, "and there's a fingerprints lock –"

"Which wouldn't be an issue either," Zabini said, smoothly, his tone pleasant as usual.

"What?" Tom halted, narrowing his eyes at Zabini suspiciously.

"I have the fingerprints of Signora Selwyn," Zabini clarified, and then casually peeled off the fake fingertips – Tom just realized now that the glittering blue wasn't nail polish but fake fingertips that apparently was some device for duplicating fingerprints.

"You – you just walk into the party with such a thing on your _fingers_?" He gaped at him.

"Always hide things in plain sight," Zabini shrugged, elegant and faintly amused at the same time that it was unnerving. His lips curved into a slightly wicked smirk, "I mean, did _you_ suspect?"

Tom hadn't.

He silently cursed at himself. He'd thought Zabini was incompetent and nothing more than a pretty face, he'd been annoyed at how unprofessional, how playboy-ish Zabini seemed to be, he'd never for one second been suspicious that all of that was just a façade, a mask to stop people from seeing what's hiding underneath.

Zabini grinned, sharp and bright and it wasn't the flirtatious grin he'd been sporting at the strangers all night, but a mean one. "Some of us are too pretty to go for the anonymous and low-key route, don't you think?"

 

* * *

 

Things changed a bit after that.

Tom started observing Zabini more thoroughly, the way he charmed and fooled others with his dazzling personality that was all fake (and the beauty that, unfortunately for Tom, was all _too real_.) and no one realized who he really was until it was too late for them. Tom told himself that he was just watching him for professional purposes, that he didn't find Zabini intriguing at all. That he wasn't impressed in the least bit at the intelligence underneath the cover.

(7: 52 pm) **tom r u alive**

(7: 54 pm) _you asked as if I could get killed that easily_

(7: 55 pm) **well you didnt whine to me for a few days I was getting worried**

(7: 55 pm) _i don't whine_

(7: 55 pm) **oh yes you do**

(7: 56 pm) _this conversation is over_

(7: 56 pm) **love u too bye**

(7: 56 pm) **oh and art exhibition date was a success in case ur wondering**

(7: 57 pm) _i wasn't. stop flaunting your dating life at me._

(7: 57 pm) **sensitive much?**

(7: 58 pm) **when was the last time you get shagged anyway?**

(7: 58 pm) _fuck off_

 

* * *

 

When another piece of clue led them to investigate some another social function, they nearly had a run-in with some servant carrying a tray of wine glasses when they snuck into a hallway leading to the backyard.

Before Tom could react, Zabini pulled him close, their lips almost touching. The servant flushed embarrassedly at running into such a scene and hurried off, and then Tom suddenly realized the almost _non-existent_ space between them, and the shape of Zabini's full lips that pulled up into a slightly seductive smirk which Tom knew _it was just an act this was just Zabini's mask he shouldn't be attracted he fucking shouldn't –_

Zabini let go off his collar, turning his seduction mode off the instant the servant left, schooling a smooth, blank mask as he looked around to see if there were any other threats nearby.

Tom felt relieved.

Relieved _and_ disappointed.

 

* * *

 

Blaise could've easily kissed Riddle, he knew. He could always claim afterwards that it was just part of the disguise, to make things more convincing. It wasn't like he had never kissed people he had no feelings – in fact, he was rather an expert at that. Growing up with his mother, he'd never believed in feelings or love or anything like that – unless it was for manipulating other people who believed those.

He'd been kissing and shagging without feeling anything for ages, he'd played the game to gain the necessary information or to silently stick a knife behind someone's back. It wasn't like it was hard.

But he couldn't kiss Riddle because at the dark corridor as he grabbed Riddle's back and smelt his scent and looked closely at the clever British agent with sharp eyes and a delicious scowl – he suddenly had feeling that he might actually _want to_ and he might actually _enjoy it_ which was absolutely _unacceptable._ He'd _never_ wanted this in a way more than playing a game –

So he forced himself to let go off his grip on Riddle and switch back to his calm and emotionless self and told himself to stop thinking about it.

Everything was _fine_.

 _(Until_ he dreamt of actually kissing Riddle that night and couldn't get it out of his head anymore.)

 

* * *

 

(8: 18 am) _i have a hypothetical question for you_

(8: 22 am) **shoot**

(8: 24 am) _if a situation arise that needs you and your mission partner to kiss to pretend to be a couple_

(8: 25 am) **sry tom i like you but im afraid i don't want to kiss you at all**

(8: 25 am) **plus**

(8: 25 am) **i have luna**

(8: 25 am) _shut up I haven't finished yet_

(8: 26 am) **btw did I tell you this thing she could do with her tongue?**

(8 26 am) _I don't really care okay_

(8: 26 am) _Anyway the crisis was averted before you need to kiss_

(8: 26 am) _So you ended up not kissing_

(8: 26 am) **tom do you have a point here i'm getting lost**

(8: 27 am) _what if you were disappointed about not actually kissing_

(8: 27 am) _what do you think it might mean_

(8: 28 am) **tom i told you last time u haven't shagged for too long**

(8: 28 am) **clearly i was right**

(8: 28 am) _this is irrelevant_

(8: 28 am) **no this is very relevant**

(8: 29 am) **u r getting too horny**

(8: 29 am) **u need to get it out of ur system**

(8: 29 am) _just answer the question_

(8: 30 am) _the hypothetical question, of course_

(8: 31 am) **hypothetical my arse**

(8: 32 am) **wait**

(8: 32 am) **luna say it's UST**

(8: 32 am) **i think she might have a point here**

"Disappointed, are you?" a voice said loftily above him, and Tom immediately turned off the screen of his phone. Zabini arched a perfect eyebrow at him, his expression was his usual amused smugness but something was a little off, a little more hesitant than usual. "Well, I would hate to disappoint a partner on a mission."

"Perhaps," Tom suggested before he could stop himself, "you should rectify the mistake then."

The earlier hesitancy slid away as Zabini smirked, addicting and enchanting and eye-catching as he leant towards Tom, closing off the distance between their lips, "I suppose I _should_."

And then he did.

 

* * *

 

"Still disappointed?"

"Depends on whether you'll try to do it again if I say yes."

 

**Author's Note:**

> find me on [tumblr](https://ff-sunset-oasis.tumblr.com)


End file.
